Insights
How Genshin Impact's devs were driven to tears
MiHoYo's president reveals how comparisons to Nintendo's Zelda Breath of the Wild were a major concern pre-release
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including developer hardships, IP disputes and China's ongoing war against games
Chinese Restrictions
China’s game restrictions aren't working
A new study by Nature Human Behaviour has found that players are willing and able to circumvent restrictions
Sensor Tower Report
37 of July's top 100 mobile game publishers came from China
Chinese publishers accounted for nearly $2 billion for the month
Regulations
China’s game licencing system to be extended to all mobile applications
Companies will need to either have a branch in China or work with Chinese companies in order to publish apps
Genre Report
Arena and adventure games are set to exceed $4.7 billion in revenue in 2023
The post-apocalyptic genre saw a significant surge in downloads
Gaming In China
China’s gaming market climbed by 20% in July
July offered strong evidence for a rebound in the country’s gaming market
Chinese Restrictions
China to implement new restrictions on children's smartphone use
Just when it looked like China legislation was opening up, new moves to restrict the market are afoot
Mihoyo Milestone
MiHoYo makes $8 billion in user spending with 73% from Genshin Impact
Honkai: Star Rail makes up 6% of the total in just a few months
China Licensing
Is China's gaming output back on track?
With 88 new licences granted, could the country’s regulatory issues be coming to an end?
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hit a record $67.5 billion in the first half of 2023
Mobile spend has returned to growth following declines in 2022
Releases
NetEase’s newly-released Justice Online tops the iOS App Store charts
The game was previously tipped to use AI for character dialogue at certain points
Goliath Games
June’s three most lucrative mobile games all came from China
Sensor Tower reports on the 10 biggest revenue generators worldwide
Making Money
From Peak Speed to Honkai: Star Rail – who to watch in the Chinese games market
Sensor Tower’s June report reveals 39 of top 100 global publishers come from China
Regulation
South Korean game regulatory agency investigated for corruption
An investigation took place as a result of petition by players of gacha titles affected by unpopular age-rating changes
Stocks
NetEase sees stock rally of 85% fuelled by new game releases
Their performance on the Hang Seng Index got a major boost
Appointments
Animoca Brands’ Yat Siu joins Hong Kong taskforce on Web3 development
The executive chairman has been increasingly bullish on Web3
Legislation
South Korea could enforce an approval system for Chinese games
The Game Industry Promotion Law may soon be amended based on overseas practices
Mini-games
WeChat’s mini-games have over 400m monthly active users
The all-in-one social media app and platform is used extensively throughout China
On The Up
June's China game approvals make it 2023's biggest month yet
In an incredibly consistent year, approvals have eked ahead to 89
Event Highlights
Global trends, influencers and esports: insights from GameExpo Summit
Our first live event in Dubai delivered essential facts, figures and opinions about the worldwide game development scene (part I)
Tencent X India
Tencent eyes a comeback in India with Undawn
The game’s titles were removed from India but Tencent is ready to return via Level Infinite
Markets
Tencent and NetEase regain momentum as licences return
But licences volumes are still below their equivalent levels from 2017
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact records lowest monthly revenue as Honkai: Star Rail soars
The success of Honkai: Star Rail saw the original smash hit game’s revenue drop to $53.8 million
Reports
China game market forecast to hit $57 billion in 2027
Was $45.5 billion in 2022
Success In China
Tencent and NetEase generated over 80% of revenue among the country’s top game makers
The two companies were China's top developers by revenue in Q1
Honkai: Star Rail
MiHoYo is aiming for pole position in China’s market
A month on from the release of Honkai: Star Rail, and the game continues its meteoric rise
Coming Soon
NetEase showcases Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings games and a Vikings crossover
19 games were shown off in the English presentation of the company's latest roundup
Financials
Tencent announces positive 2023 first quarter financials
A tantalising glimpse into the goings-on behind the scenes at Tencent
China Chimes In
China approves Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition
Yet another approval counter to the UK’s decision
Showcase
NetEase Connect showcase to reveal new titles and more
Their 2023 event is coming soon, featuring guest appearances and exclusive reveals
Stellar Star
Honkai: Star Rail pushes MiHoYo ahead of NetEase for revenue with only Tencent ahead
Honkai: Star Rail starts stronger than Genshin Impact
Gamerefinery Report
Updates and record breakers: How did mobile gaming do in April?
GameRefinery analyses the mobile gaming market last month
New Release
Honkai: Star Rail races to 20 million downloads on launch day
Hoyoverse’s latest game is on the right track to break records
Investment
Tencent takes the lead on European investment. Will the rest of China follow?
The company wants to hedge its bets abroad. Could more Chinese-funded M&A action be on the way?
Legislation
Gamebake's Michael Hudson and Sandsoft's Lauren Lu on the changing Chinese market
Why China remains a lucrative market despite legislative barriers
Legal
Now NetEase aren't suing Activision Blizzard
The suit was actually raised by a serial litigator naming NetEase, while Activision Blizzard express their puzzlement in a new statement
Legal
NetEase to sue over Blizzard breakup for $43.5m
The lawsuit comes months after their fallout, attempted make up, and heated disagreements
Licencing
Are China’s game approvals back to “business as usual”?
Rounding up the latest on China's licencing freeze saga
Sci-fi Star
Honkai: Star Rail pre-installs available now on App Store and Google Play
A reflective round-up of developments on the next, eagerly awaited miHoYo game
Licencing
China's game regulator approves 86 new games including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
The game is immensely popular in Southeast Asia
China Changes
Why you should be optimistic about mobile gaming in China
Game licence approvals offer new opportunities to Tencent, miHoYo and others
Gamerefinery Report
Betas, events, and releases: How did mobile gaming do in March?
GameRefinery examines the performance of the market over the month
China Changes
Chinese game licences in 2023 could surpass the past two years combined
Niko Partners points out the positives of recent changes in China
Tiktok Trouble
Australia is the latest country to ban TikTok on government phones
The app has been subject to security concerns throughout the world
Riot X Netease
Netease’s Hyper Front to shut down following Riot lawsuit
The suit alleged that Hyper Front infringed on its intellectual property
Various Visits
Tim Cook represents Apple in visits to miHoYo and other Chinese partners
Meeting creators behind games like Genshin Impact
Finance
ByteDance hits record revenue of $80bn, but at the cost of gaming?
Their latest figures has them head-to-head with fellow tech giant Tencent
Netease X Blizzard
Breaking down the break-up of NetEase and Blizzard
NetEase allegedly suggested it could sway the government’s decision regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Sensor Tower Report
The USA, India, and emerging markets are leading the way in app installs
But predictions state that China is poised for a resurgence in the coming period